Study for sculpture 'Empty and full abstracts of a head' 1912

Here we see Umberto Boccioni’s study for his sculpture, ‘Empty and full abstracts of a head,’ rendered with charcoal and pencil. The fragmented face stares out, an echo of the classical portrait, yet shattered into geometric forms, a visual representation of the inner self in turmoil. The face, a symbol of identity, is dissected here, each plane a facet of a complex, and perhaps fractured, psyche. Consider the sharp angles and the way they dissect the head, echoing the Futurist obsession with speed and dynamism, but also hinting at the psychological fragmentation brought about by modernity. We find similar dismemberment of the human figure in Cubist works; Picasso's faces share the same sense of a mind pulled apart, struggling to find coherence. The eyes, stark and unsettling, evoke a deep unease, compelling us to confront the psychological weight carried by the image. This is not merely a portrait but a visceral representation of the anxieties and energies of a world in flux. The head, once a symbol of reason and order, becomes a battleground of conflicting forces, forever caught in the crosscurrents of history.